Oasis
by Tsuki no Kodomo
Summary: The desert is a realm of death, for most. But for one, it will be a realm of life, and stunning revealations. Love and war collide in a battle for Ancient Egypt. TKBxBakuraxRyou
1. Chapter 1

_Oasis_

The early morning sun danced through a small crevice, resting upon a sleeping figure. The wind caused sand to brush playfully at the figures' mostly exposed body and soon caused the sleeping man to wake.

Purple eyes quietly examined the room, his body still but for his breathing and the gentle movement of his hair in the light wind. Fabric walls danced in waves of green and cream, coming to a point directly above his head. A tent, he guessed, and slowly sat up to take in the rest of the room.

The mat, which he lay on, appeared to be the only thing occupying the dimly sunlit room. Sand flooded the floor as well as (he noted with surprise) small flowers and plants. He ran a hand through his short white locks, and lowered his head. He hadn't expected the afterlife to be quite like this. It seemed almost peaceful… though empty, he thought, and a little lonely.

Soft humming suddenly reached his ears, and purple eyes turned to the flap of the tent. Slowly, he crept to the flap, low to the ground, and lightly brushed it aside to peer into the slowly lightening desert.

A beautiful scene met his eyes and he finally decided he must have died after all. Tall trees, peaked with large, wide green leaves shaded a beautiful blue pool of water, fed by a small, singing stream. Amongst colourful, fragrant flowers, a tall though delicate and slender looking boy sat, with a mortar and pestle, carefully grinding flower petals.

Long, luscious white hair flowed over round, effeminate shoulders. His skin was abnormally pale – more pale than any human he had ever seen – and his clothes were equally pale, consisting of a milky skirt, which didn't quite cover his knees, exposing slight amounts of his thighs, and a matching, sleeveless jacket.

It was from this young boy that the soft, lilting humming came, growing, building, and then abruptly stopping. Long lashes brushed over babyish cheeks, before bright green eyes lifted to meet his purple ones.

"Oh, you're awake!" a bright smile lit the boy's pale features, and exposed abnormally straight white teeth. Slightly pink lips parted, as he spoke, but the one to whom he was speaking made no response.

Unperturbed, the boy stood, long legs carefully unfolding, and he charily stepped amongst the flowers with water-like grace. As he approached the tent, the man inside slid away from the door, causing the creature outside to giggle, before entering.

"I thought, perhaps, you might not wake. You're lucky I found you out there… falling asleep in the desert isn't usually suggested," he stated idly, starting a rather one-sided conversation.

The sand seemed to part for the boy as he approached his companion, tilting his head to one side with a smile, causing his cloud-like hair to fall back over one shoulder, and expose a little more of the boy's creamy skin. "You slept for days! I thought the sun might have fried you completely, but you kept breathing and mumbling so… well, you're alive right? That's what counts," he laughed a bit.

His companion made no response, just watching him, before blinking. "So… I'm alive then?"

"Well of course you are, silly," the boy giggled a little, "if you weren't we wouldn't be talking would we?"

"Then you're not… a guide to the afterlife?" the man blinked again, and the boy shook his head, briefly looking a little more solemn than previously.

"Oh hardly. Were you trying to wind yourself up dead? If so, my apologies for preventing that."

"No, no…" the man shook his head. "I haven't a death wish. I fled into the desert to stay alive."

One delicate eyebrow quirked up at this, and the boy suddenly sat in front of his partner, green eyes alight with curiosity. "Oh? Tell me more!"

Purple eyes watched him steadily, before he turned his head away. "I'm hardly about to share that kind of information with a stranger," he stated.

A huff was his response. "A stranger who saved your apparently ungrateful life. Well fine then," a hand was thrust into the man's face, and he blinked at it, many times. "My name's Ryou and you're currently living in my tent until you're well again."

Purple eyes glanced up dubiously. "You can't be serious."

"Ahem, a _name_ is an appropriate response," the boy, Ryou, pouted.

"Akefia," the man stated. "My name is Akefia." He waited a few moments, but the stranger seemed not to respond to that name at all, aside from a chipper chirp of 'nice to meet you then!' and the shaking of his hand. "… You're not scared or anything?" Akefia blinked.

Ryou blinked in return. "No. Ought I be?"

"… Akefia. The King of Thieves…? The evil opposing force to the mighty Pharaoh Atemu?" the thief explained, waiting for any hint of recognition to dawn on the boy, only to receive an interested, inquisitive look.

"You're evil? An evil king? How come you call yourself evil…? I thought it was usually people around you who would introduce you as an evil overlord or this or that…"

Akefia wasn't sure why, but it was almost a relief that his reputation had finally found its limits in preceding him. He shook his head with an amused noise. "Well, normally I don't really have to introduce myself at all beyond a name… people tend to flee after that… or try and catch me, like the fools they are."

Ryou gave him a wicked grin. "Oh, but I already caught you. If I'd tied you up you'd really be in trouble! Would that have been foolish of me?"

"No," Akefia laughed a little. "Most, if they had found me unconscious in the desert, would have left me there to die, or tied me up and taken me away. I hadn't thought anyone would really encounter me in the middle of nowhere."

"This isn't the middle of nowhere," the green-eyed boy said, twisting a lock of hair in his index finger, "this is my home, and therefore, it's the world."

"You're a bit of a simpleton… has anyone told you that? And naïve to let a thief into your house and not mind."

Soft pink lips moved to a pout, the boy's lower lip jutting out a little. "I'm not naïve. I've simply got nothing to steal."

Short white hair shook a bit as Akefia chuckled to himself. "I noticed that." He sighed and sat back. "So, where am I, anyways? Aside from your place," he quickly added, as Ryou opened his mouth.

Ryou looked thoughtful. "Well… it's kinda in the desert?" he mused. "I don't exactly know any landmarks except this oasis."

He received a blank look for that statement. "So… you've lived here all your life, then? And never left?"

"Something like that," the boy nodded. "I've been into the desert a little, like when I got you… But I tend not to wander too far," he smiled, and then stood. "Are you hungry? I have some fruits and things if so… and we'll get you some water, too, I bet you could use some of that," he nodded to himself, heading out.

Akefia sat, watching the tent flap for a while, thinking idly to himself about life, and all the things he was glad he didn't yet miss out on. A grin pasted itself onto his face as he thought about this isolated oasis, and the solitary boy living in it. There was no doubt the boy was lovely – quite to his tastes, in fact – and as slender as he was, he could easily be overpowered... _if he were even to protest, _the thief thought to himself, smugly.

As he played out a few possible scenarios in his mind, Ryou returned with a small basket of fruits and vegetables, as well as a beautifully decorated ceramic cup, which was placed before him. Akefia watched the lithe creature as he delicately separated the fruits and vegetables, taking out a crude knife to free one fruit from its skin.

A willowy hand extended to offer him the fruit which Akefia accepted courteously, lightly stroking the boy's surprisingly supple skin with the tips of his fingers. The hand quickly withdrew, and green eyes watched him, slightly startled.

"I take it you don't associate with people often," he stated, dryly.

"It's… not that…" his companion mumbled, softly, taking a lip between his teeth, thoughtfully. "Your skin… it's strange. I noticed it a little when I dressed your wounds… it's so rough, so tan… but it still feels…" he trailed off, then shook his head.

"Feels what?" Akefia asked, leaning back on an arm, and taking a bite of the fruit. The male across from him looked as if there was something in particular he wanted to say, but was struggling a little with how to say it.

Purple eyes lit with amusement, as Ryou continued to fight with what he wanted to say. Finishing the fruit, he licked the juices from each digit before sitting up and moving his face somewhat closely to Ryou's. The boy finally focused his attention on him, the thoughtful look disappearing, and turning to a vague wariness.

"My skin feels what…?" Akefia asked again, a small smirk tugging at his lips. When Ryou made no motion to respond, he started to lean in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "If feels… good?"

"You need a bath," Ryou stood, and Akefia was suddenly faced with long, pale legs. "You smell worse than your animal." And with that, the boy turned and left the tent.

Akefia crossed his arms with a scowl, rather put off. "I'm not a gods-be-damned whore…" he muttered to himself, for the sake of argument more than anything, "I'm a thief."

"You really must not be very good. I'm sure homeowners can smell you as you enter their homes. Perhaps that is why you've not been caught," Ryou's voice remarked from outside the tent. "Eat, and then you'll take a bath."

Irritation grew. "Who in Ra's name do you think you are to order me around?" he snarled.

A face peeked into the tent, giving him a large grin. "The only person around who might be able to show you how to get home."

The day passed with only minor glitches, though Akefia complained rather bitterly the whole afternoon about Ryou and his damn baths. He was forced under a cold spring waterfall, his hair desecrated with strangely smelling flowery things. The only nice part was the feel of his young companion's soft hands scrubbing vigorously at him.

All through the escapade, he could hear the whitenette muttering about how dirty Akefia would make his poor oasis water, and how long it would take to be cleaned. To this, Akefia only snorted, and informed him that it was his own damned idea. Ryou had no response to that but to scrub more briskly.

After the bath, Akefia allowed himself to air dry, finding himself thoroughly disappointed when his nudity didn't seem to so much as catch the boys' attention, as he cleaned Akefia's sullied clothing. By the time Ryou was finished, Akefia was already dry, and had no decent excuse to lounge around in the nude.

What did happen that day, however, which was most certainly worthy of note, were the voices the Thief King swore he heard in his head. A deep, growling voice which seemed very displeased any time he so much as leered in Ryou's direction. Under most circumstances, he would have attributed it to the heat, but at this oasis it was peculiarly cool.

When Akefia thought to ask, Ryou simply explained that the cool running water helped cool the area around them, and the trees provided plenty of shade for the area. It wasn't until nightfall that Akefia bore witness to something he never thought he'd see.

"Whatever happens… stay in the tent until morning, okay?" the whitenette warned him, just as the sun was setting. "It's not safe outside after dark."

Akefia rolled his eyes. "And where exactly are you going to be during this time, little one?"

Ryou paused, and his green eyes glanced back towards the thief. "I will be sleeping far from where you can touch me, silly thief."

"What makes you think I want to touch you?" the man blinked. He had _thought_ he'd been relatively subtle, though now he wished he'd been more forward about his lust towards the younger boy.

"Your eyes say so, especially when they linger on my waist and ass far longer than they should." And with a little smirk, the boy turned again and exited the tent…

_A/N: This story… is probably the most epic thing I've ever attempted. Right now it may not seem like much, but this will likely be approximately fifteen chapters, and then into Fracture, the sequel. Admittedly, I'm only in the process of writing all this, and knowing my track record I'll likely discontinue it at some point in time… but as this story is literally 'my baby' I'm hoping I can stick more dedication to it than to previous adventures. So, I hope you all enjoy Oasis. Thank you for reading the first chapter. Dedicated with love to Lexi (because I know how badly you wanted this story out) and my Ai-chan, who inspired the story to begin with!_

_Next chapter! There's something beneath the surface of those pretty oasis waters, and something beneath the surface of the pretty oasis boy. And poor Akefia has no real way to escape what he's been thrown into._


	2. Chapter 2

_Oasis_

The desert sands cooled quickly, and Akefia pulled the blanket tighter around him. He had been asleep, but many years on the run had made him a light sleeper, and the softest of sounds woke him from his far from peaceful slumber. His eyes remained closed, but all senses were on the highest of alerts.

A light breeze was wafting through the tent, chilly against his face and a small part of his knee which poked out from beneath the blanket. The floral scent he'd become used to during the day smelled vaguely different – as if certain blossoms were letting out a different fragrance now that night had fallen – and the very taste of the air was altered. The little waterfall still trickled peacefully into the oasis beyond the tent flaps, but there was still a strange _something_ nagging at his senses.

Finally, he opened his eyes, and bloody red eyes bore right back into his own. The Thief King let out a startled yelp, pressing quickly back from the figure. Now at a relatively safe distance, and squatting in a rather defensive posture, he eyed the man across from him warily.

The man simply watched him, his handsome face contorted into a malicious sneer. Wild hair tumbled over his shoulders, and his legs, arms, and the chest which was exposed displayed well crafted muscles, currently taunt, like a predator ready to pounce. And strangely, Akefia worried that he was the prey.

"You'd do best to keep your thieving little fingers off of Ryou," the man snarled. The topic of Ryou being brought up, Akefia gave the man a second look. A lover? … No. A brother, he decided. The resemblance was too strikingly similar for anything else.

"If you leave your poor sibling alone all day, then it's not your business to be telling me what I can or cannot do," he shifted to sit in a less defensive stance. He wouldn't let this man, or _any_ man threaten him.

"Sibling?" the man snorted. "Hardly. Ryou is _mine_ and has been mine for far too long for the likes of _you_ to intervene. Ryou is curious about you, nothing more, and I will not warn you again if you touch him," the man finally stood, drawing himself up to his rather troubling height, nearly a head taller than the thief.

"And who are you to decide what my likes are?" the purple eyed man let out an almost affronted sniff, standing as well, though not nearly as intimidating as the pale man across from him.

"I am the owner of this land. And I know of you, Thief King. I know well of you, and of why you were in the desert…" the man folded his arms, and cocked his head to one side, his hair falling back over his shoulder in a motion quite reminiscent of the boy he'd encountered prior to falling asleep.

"What, exactly, do you _think_ you know?" Akefia scoffed, meeting the man's gaze, levelly.

"I know you oppose the pharaoh, that you are a pillager of towns, a raider of tombs, and a philanderer to any who catch your eye. I know you and the pharaoh fought…" and suddenly, the man's eyes trailed down, towards Akefia's waist, and he gave a slightly colder look "… and I know what he did to you."

Akefia stopped. Stopped breathing, stopped moving, stopped scowling. His mouth dropped open a little bit, as he tried to form words, or even rational thoughts. _No one_ knew what that wretched god-king had done. No one. How could this disgusting landowner know any such thing?

But those reddish eyes trailed back up over the thief's torso to his eyes, and he didn't stop speaking. "I know about your village, and I know why you do what you do. I know the pharaoh lies about you, and that you are not as he depicts, which is the only reason you are still here, and still alive.

"I know that both you and the pharaoh lost, last you encountered one another, and that Ryou nursed your injuries, and you, back to health. I know that Ryou does not wish for you to leave until you are completely well again; therefore you are welcome until then. But I am certain your welcome can be rather easily revoked. So do not test my patience, mortal," and with that odd line, the wild-haired man turned and exited the tent.

Akefia was left staring after him, stunned into a very rare silence. Mortal? What had he meant by that? It was almost as if he was implying he was something else, something… godly? The man shook his head. That was ridiculous. A man like that was simply high on himself – perhaps he was out of his mind.

Now that he wasn't in the presence of the man, he cursed his cowardice. Had any other person told him to keep his hands off something he wanted, he would have cut out their tongue, and taken it to spite them. The man snarled a little; while he hadn't cut out the man's tongue, nothing would stop him from taking Ryou.

* * *

He next woke to a pair of green eyes staring at him, and a bright smile. This time, however, he didn't jump back, or even flinch. The smile seemed to grow somewhat after a few moments and the boy reached to the side to grab a peeled fruit from a basket beside him.

Akefia shifted to sit and took the fruit. Last night was oddly fresh and clear in his mind. He thought about dismissing it as a dream but… it lacked that strange dreamlike quality that his dreams seemed to have. Besides that, it was very rare that he was spoken down to in his dreams.

Ryou watched him expectantly, waiting for him to eat the fruit, but gave him a rather perplexed expression when Akefia pressed the fruit to the boys' lips instead. "What…?"

"Take a bite," Akefia purred lightly. This acquisition wouldn't be dreary at all, he decided, as the boy obligingly parted his pretty pink lips to take a bite of the fruit. Juices crawled over his lower lip, to his chin, and the boy raised a hand to clear them away, making a startled noise when the thief leaned to lick the juices from his finger.

A delicious shade of red crept into the boys' face, and he stared with child-like wonder at Akefia, stunned by his actions. Nonchalantly, the man raised the fruit to take a bite, as well, while Ryou simply stared at him, speechlessly.

"Ryou!" a familiar and unwanted voice broke into their odd moment, and the boy leapt to his feet, and disappeared out of the tent faster than a gazelle. The thief simply smirked after the teen. He was now certain – Ryou was more than just… 'Curious'.

He'd seen something in the boy's clear green eyes that moment. A slight fog, a slight something that showed there was a little more… a little… heat? A smirk lit his lips. The boy was playing games – he wanted Akefia as much as Akefia wanted to take him. Or did he?

The boy seemed to have nearly a split personality at moments. Sometimes he was utterly oblivious, others he was far too observant for the thief's liking; there were times that the boy's eyes seemed so old, and others where his whole self seemed alit with childish tendencies. It was hard to get into the boy's head.

He paused as he heard the boy's voice drawing nearer the tent. He was speaking with someone, but that someone sounded as if he was further off, no closer to the tent than before – that damned landowner. He bristled, wishing he'd never have to hear that voice again. But even the bristling ceased when Ryou's voice was close enough that he should have made out words.

Instead, there was only a melodic lilting sound. He would have thought the boy was singing, if that dark growling voice hadn't been replying. The language was so foreign, it wasn't the language the common folk spoke, nor by any means was it Egyptian. It was almost pretty – at least, it was pretty when Ryou spoke. When the other spoke it sounded too harsh to be pretty. He hated to admit it but it was almost seductive when the other spoke.

Ryou finally shouted something, and stalked back into the tent, sitting down still with his odd grace, while still managing to make a scene of it. He looked far from pleased. In fact, he looked down right pissed off, and to Akefia it was absolutely adorable; like a miffed sheep... Without the horns. His hair seemed a little more pointy – like it had bristled up in his irritation – but still remained much more tame than his own, or that others' hair.

"What's eating you?" Akefia cocked his head.

"You really have to keep your hands to yourself. Bakura is… far from pleased with you."

"And this Bakura is… your landlord?"

"… In a couple manners of speaking, yes. Just… trust me. You don't want to make Bakura angry. It will only serve to make both of our lives miserable, and he might send you home, and you won't be well enough to get back through the desert…" Ryou twisted a strand of hair between two fingers, worriedly.

"I'm not afraid of him, and you shouldn't be, either," Akefia grumbled. "He's hardly capable of hurting me…"

That old look passed Ryou's features again. "You'd be surprised, Akefia, at the damage Bakura can cause. And he'll always strike at night. Are you sure you want to bet your life and sacrifice your sleep on something you know ever so little about?"

A feeling of annoyance welled up in him. The boy thought he knew, did he? He thought that if it came down to it, his landlord would overpower him? The King of Thieves? "Sleep is a luxury, not a necessity," he stated, shortly.

Ryou's eyes sparkled in some strange reaction to those words. "You're right. Sleep is a luxury. So is death. So is life. A person's very existence is a luxury… memories are a luxury, silence is a luxury, love is a luxury… nothing is a necessity."

"Money is a necessity," Akefia muttered.

"This time you're wrong," Ryou shook his head, his hair tumbling around wildly, and somehow falling back into place. "Money, gold, gems, jewellery… they're all luxuries. You don't need any of it. You'll never need any of it."

The boy rose, and Akefia watched him curiously. How could anyone think that all those things were needless? When all the world was after all those things; when all the world wanted gold, gems and jewellery, when all the world wanted life, love and memories, how could this strange creature call all those things luxuries?

"… Do you mean to tell me… you don't want lovely fabrics or elaborate meals? You don't want memories, or love?"

"No, don't mistake me. I desire love more than anything, but I know that I, and every other being in existence, am capable of living and dying without it. I want them, who doesn't? … But I don't require them."

The purple-eyed man watched as Ryou exited the tent again, and thought on that. In the beginning, hadn't Ryou been right? When he first began his thieving… it wasn't for the money, it wasn't for the fame, it wasn't for the possessions. The thieving was a means to an end, not something he needed. Could he have opposed the Pharaoh's existence doing something else?

… Yes. He could have been a murderer, he could have gone and attempted to assassinate the Pharaoh, and all his problems would have been over. But his pride wouldn't let him do it without making a name for himself. He wanted to draw attention to what the god-king had done, and make the people see what their beloved ruler had really done.

Murdering a village, boiling them alive – woman and children, boys and men alike. Because they were thieves? No. Because their realm needed power. What would he have done if it had taken thousands to create those blasted items? A hand shifted to the Ring around his neck, and he grasped it tightly. How many villages would he have sacrificed?

And he knew, too. He was completely aware that the current Pharaoh was just as aware of what happened as his father was, though in public he did seem to enjoy playing oblivious. No, their one on ones proved it. Atemu knew. Just as his father knew. The mark the boy-king had left was proof of it, as much as it was meant to possess Akefia. No, it served another purpose, and it wasn't one the Thief King would ever forget.

To have a two-faced brat claim ownership of him – he'd never accept it. And when finally the Pharaoh's blood ran over his fingers, and the millennium items were returned to him – the last remains of his family – then he would love the blood for himself, and for what his family suffered. There would be no holding back, the moment his fingers were around the god-king's throat. Not even Ra would be capable of holding him back.

No one would take that pleasure from him – not even Diabound would deal the final blow. It would be him, it would be his hands.

His death was a necessity. The draining of his blood into the Nile, by Akefia's hand? … That was a luxury. The greatest luxury in the world.

* * *

_A/N: Aw, Akefia, you're so morbid! So there we have it, chapter two finally exists! What am I saying 'finally'? It's probably the fastest I've ever updated._

_Thanks so much for the overwhelming response! I wasn't expecting so much love for the first chapter, especially since nothing had quite happened yet! So I'll slowly reveal what happened with Atemu and Akefia as we go on, and I always welcome opinions on how you'd like the story to be! I have a complex plot as is, but if I can work something in… well, I'll do my best out of love for my readers._

_This fanfiction is still dedicated with love to Lexi, because I know you wanted this story so badly, and to Ai-chan, as the inspiration for this story and it's sequel. And thanks so much to the six wonderful reviewers for chapter one! I'll try to respond to all signed reviews from here on out, I promise._

_Next chapter! Bakura's warnings are left on deaf ears as Akefia is gifted with a beautiful sight indeed, and he's more dedicated than ever to this hunt. Let the games begin._


	3. Chapter 3

Oasis

Not in any sort of mood to deal with this "Landlord" of Ryou's, Akefia spent the majority of the morning in the tent, lounging in the cool atmosphere, nibbling on what foods Ryou had left for him. As much as he appreciated the fruits the boy had left, the carnal side of him had begun to yearn for meat. What was with this kid? No wonder he was scrawny - he was some sort of weird herbivore.

When he finally emerged from the tent, the sun was at its zenith, high above his head, and the sands were positively steaming. The spring waterfall still trickled peacefully, giving a cool breeze now and then that was far too tempting to ignore. Beginning to undress, Akefia paused rather suddenly and smirked.

In a small, shady part of the oasis pool, a mess of long white hair was pooled around a slim waist, unbelievably pale skin running over the figures long arms, fingers caressing ever so gently. As the boy turned, Akefia shifted himself back behind something to continue to watch, not particularly wanting to startle the boy out of his quiet time.

Again those pale hands touched and slid gently over his belly grinding in the rough smelling salts, which Akefia still felt the pain of on his skin from the day before. Did Ryou take some sort of pleasure in hurting himself? If this was something he did frequently he must have, because Akefia hated it just the once – far more than any whipping he'd received in the past.

But somehow, watching his pale host bathe made bathing seem enjoyable. He remembered those hands on him, those soft hands pressing ever so gently on himself. He could almost imagine himself bathing the boy, his hands on those thin hips, brushing through that unbelievably luxurious white hair.

After a few moments, Ryou moved to exit the oasis, pulling a towel from a nearby bush and beginning to dry his hair, an unblemished and beautifully round buttocks was turned to Akefia in the process, and he wasted no small amount of time setting his eyes on it. Long, thin legs seemed to stretch on forever, and his eyes settled there as the towel was removed from his hair and placed around that slim waist, hiding that delectable little ass. Torture. It was pure torture.

And he was far too soon distracted from it by something almost as awe-inspiring. The oasis began to glow softly, and a figure soon arose from its depths, until a man stood completely atop the water, walking along its surface.

Long, messy white hair fell down the man's back, his figure clad in a completely dry black outfit. The thief's mind quickly made amends – Ryou's form nude was gorgeous, yes. But this was impossible. Ryou's eyes turned to his landlord, and he spoke quickly, sounding somewhat annoyed.

The other spoke, and soon, Ryou's eyes turned to Akefia. "Because someone was watching," he stated in plain Egyptian. Apparently… he'd been noticed after all. At first, he thought to be appalled, but soon the idea completely vanished; if Ryou had known he was there, then he was most certainly putting himself on display for Akefia's wandering eyes. And if _that_ was the case…

… his smirk grew. That made this whole place that much more interesting.

The smirk fell a little, however, as Bakura's bloody eyes turned on him and narrowed a good deal. Ryou quickly moved out onto the water, grabbing Bakura's arm and muttering something at him under his breath.

"I know you're there, thief, you might as well show yourself," the taller man growled out.

Ryou's eyes seemed a little fearful and he clutched tightly at Bakura's arm. "Please, Bakura… be reasonable. It was me as much as it was him!"

"Then I'll deal with _your_ behaviour later," Bakura snarled. The thief's heart sunk slightly a moment, before he came out from his hiding spot and stood to his tallest in front of the towering other male. "I warned you off, didn't I? I warned you, and for some unknown reason, you didn't listen… Would you care to explain yourself?"

"Bakura!" Ryou hissed from his spot at Bakura's side, "just let him – "

"Shut up for a minute," the other growled, looking to Akefia.

"Whether you like it or not," the purpled-eyed man started, "I am male. And Ryou is attractive. And we happen to be in the middle of goddamned nowhere. So excuse me for looking when he's putting himself so adamantly on display."

Ryou's face turned a quaint shade of red, and Akefia imagined he would have protested had he not already made the statement only a few moments before. He did, however, give the thief the nastiest look he'd seen on that pretty little face since he first woke.

"Mhmm… and you had no intentions of _touching_ my Ryou?"

"Now do you want a lie, or the truth?" he countered.

Bloody eyes narrowed a good deal more, but he didn't move any closer from the edge of the oasis. Ryou released his arm after a moment, quickly moving to grab Akefia's arm and guide him back to the tent, rather hurriedly. "You stupid, stupid male!" he announced as they entered the tent. "You'd best not sleep tonight. Oh boy is he mad at you!"

Akefia rolled his eyes and let the boy continue, before moving a hand to cover his mouth. "I think there's something somewhat more important to be discussing. Like how the hell the two of you were walking on the water, or why your _landlord_ was capable of emerging from a pool completely dry."

Green eyes watched him lucidly over the top of his hand. They watched one another steadily for a time, Ryou's eyes set rather defiantly. As Akefia lifted his hand from Ryou's mouth, no words were spoken. In fact, Ryou simply turned away.

"Don't sleep, Thief King. If you sleep, you may never wake again," something dark tinted that childish voice, as the boy cast a glance over his shoulder, "and that would be such a pity."

Akefia snarled a bit, stalking out of the tent again after the boy. "Are you threatening me, _boy?"_

Ryou simply stepped out to the oasis, onto the water. "I have no reason to threaten you, Akefia. Bakura will do the damage… And I can do nothing to prevent that. I can't save those who cannot save themselves."

And with that, the boy sunk slowly into the pool and disappeared. Akefia's eyes turned to seek out his dark stallion. When he saw nothing, he whistled lightly, and Chons soon made an appearance, at the side of the pool. He grabbed his cloak and soon, he and Chons took off into the desert afternoon.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry everyone, really short chapter I know. I have a few other things I need to write for school due in four days so I've really got no time to write anything longer! This'll be my last update of Oasis until the New Year, so I'll wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year now, and happy birthday to anyone who has a birthday during this break like I do!!_

_For those who are curious, Chons is the Egyptian God of the Moon… Chons, Chonsu or__ Chonsu-pa-âri-sekher-em-"Uas-t"_

_Next Chapter: Has Akefia managed to really escape, or is he just digging himself a deeper hole? And what on earth is going on with this oasis?_


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